Uganda closes its border with Congo as cases of a rare Ebola type surge
Only emergency crossings will be allowed for response, cargo and security as Uganda tries to limit cross-border infections amid 7 confirmed cases.
- On Wednesday, Ugandan authorities ordered immediate closure of the Congo border after Vice President Jesca Alupo's Ebola task force determined that health workers faced escalating exposure from Congolese patients who crossed before the May 15 outbreak declaration.
- Suspected cases in eastern Congo are nearing 1,000 with at least 220 deaths, while Congo's health ministry reported 101 confirmed cases and over 3,000 possible contacts on Tuesday; the porous border spanning several hundred miles with numerous footpaths created transmission vulnerability.
- Uganda has recorded seven Ebola cases including a 59-year-old man's death in Kampala on May 14, and while the caseload remains modest, health worker exposure has accelerated as they have families, according to Dr. Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health.
- Border travel will be restricted to emergency cases including Ebola response, cargo or security reasons, though the World Health Organization warned that closures lack scientific basis and redirect movement to informal crossings, increasing disease transmission risk.
- Doctor Todd Ellerin of South Shore Health cautioned that Congo's reported 177 deaths and nearly 750 cases likely represent underestimates, as eastern Congo simultaneously confronts armed groups, displaced populations and poor infrastructure complicating containment efforts.
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SHTF PlanUganda Closes Borders To DRC As Suspected Ebola Cases Are Now Over 1000
In response to a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak, Uganda has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. This news comes as the suspected cases reach over 1,000. According to the numbers compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 121 confirmed Ebola...
Ebola is back. Following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda has closed its borders for several weeks. Africa correspondent Ruud Elmendorp reports on the major concerns following the new outbreak.
The number of Ebola patients in Uganda has risen to eight, according to the African Union Public Health Agency (Africa CDC). On Wednesday, Ugandan authorities confirmed seven cases.
Uganda shuts border with DR Congo as cases of rare Ebola type surge
The decision by the Ugandan Ebola task force, which goes against World Health Organization guidance, follows a rise in health workers exposed to Ebola by Congolese patients who crossed before the outbreak was declared.
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